Automatic danger-signal apparatus



- (No Model.)

r. HENI US. AUTOMATIG DANGER SIGNAL APPARATUS.

No. 549,789. Patented Nov. 12,1895.

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS WITNESSES:

FREDERICK 'HENIU'S, OF

AUTOMATIC DANGER- PATENT OFFICE.

NE'IVARK, NEI V JERSEY.

SIG NAL APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,789, dated November 12, 1895.

' Application filed April 22, 1895. are No. 546,686. (No inodel.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known thatI, FREDERICK HENIUs, a citizen of the United States, residing in Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Danger-Signal Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a system and apparatus for signaling cars passing on parallel tracks in opposite direction, said apparatus being of simple and durable construction, automatic and reliable in operation.

The invention consists in the improved system of signaling cars passing in opposite directions on parallel. tracks, (especially when the tracks are close together,) and also in the means and apparatus used with said systern, and in the combination and arrangements of the various parts thereof, substantially as will be hereinafter more fully described, and finally embodied in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of two cars supposed to run in opposite directions and provided with my improved signaling apparatus; Fig. 2, a side elevation of a portion of one of the cars, illustrating the relative position of the signal operating and controlling apparatus 5 Fig. 3, a diagrammatic view illustrating the signaling-circuit of one of the cars and Fig. 4 an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of one of the circuit closers or breakers.

In said drawings, a and I) represent two cars supposed to run on parallel tracks in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. The left-hand sides of the "cars that is to say, the inner sides with relation to each other are provided at or about the front portions thereof with circuitclosers c and c,

A circuit-breakers (Z and (1.

while their rear portions are provided with Said circuit closers and breakers are either secured to adj ustable'brackets on the roof, as illustrated in the drawings, or to brackets projecting from the sides of the car, as will be manifest, provided, however, that both circuit-closers are in one plane while the circuit-breakers are in another plane parallel to the first one, for purposes hereinafter specified. The right-hand sides of the cars (or their outer sides) are provided with similar circuit-closers e e and circuit-breakers f and f, but are reversed in relation to their respective positionsthat is to say, the circuit-closers are on the rear and the circuit-breakers on the front portion of v the car. The circuit or wire connection is such that the circuit-closers c and 0 will 0perate the bells and a, respectively, while the circuit-closers e and e will'operate the bells 0 and 0 The circuit-breakers d and dare in the circuit of the bells c and 0", respectively, while the circuit-breakers f and f are in the circuits of the bells 0 and 0 In Fig. 3 of the drawings is illustrated, in a diagrammatic view, the respective connections of the circuit-closer c, circuit-breaker d, and the electromagnet 2, battery 6, and bell c. \Vhen the circuit-closer c is operatedthat is to say, an electrical connection is established between the wires 1 and 8, (said operation will be hereinafter more fully described,)-the current from the battery 6 passes through wire 5, hell 0, wire 4, to the circuit-breaker d, (which normally is closed,) from there through wire 3 into the electromagnet 2, from thence through wire 10, wire 1, circuit-closer c, and through wire '7 back to battery 6. The circuit is then closed and the armature 9 attracted by the electromagnet 2. turned to its normal position, (by means hereinafter stated)-that is to say, the electrical connection between the wires 1 and 8 is broken-the electric circuit remains closed,

as it is completed through wire 7 armature 9, and wire 10, said armature coming in electrical contact with wire 10. The bell continues to ring until the circuit is broken by means of the circuit-breaker d, (which after having performed its duty returns by mechanical means to its normal position, whereby the armature is released and the system Although the circuit-closer is now reagain ready for a repetition of the hereinbefore described operation.

To more fully comprehend the above, it is necessary to go into more complete details of a circuit-breaker (or closer) used in connection with the system described.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings is illustrated a circuit-closer consisting of an insulated base 71., to which is secured, by means of its flanges 71*, a vertically-arranged shaft 71.,which forms the bearin g for the elongated sleeve 71.,(with intermediate bushing 71 and resting on washer 71- provided on one side with a horizontallyarranged arm, to which is adj ustably secured, by means of bolt 71., a looped spring a, (see Figs. 1 and 4,) adapted to be engaged by the looped spring 0 of the circuit-closer c on the opposite car. The top of the sleeve 7L5 is provided with two oppositely-arranged inclined planes 7L7, (the rear one not being visible in the drawings,) 011 which the wheels h are adapted to operate. Said wheels are fulcrumed on the rounded ends of a square shaft adapted to move up and down in the vertical slot 7L9 of the shaft it. On said square shaft and surrounding the shaft h is a collar or disk It on which bears one end of the spiral spring h, the other end of which rests against the washer 7L ,SGCU.16Cl to the shaft h by a nut or in any desired manner. side of the sleeve its is arranged and insulated therefrom a contact-block t', adapted when. said sleeve is turned to engage the contactsprings t" and i connected with the electric wires 8 and 1, respectively.

The device (except the spring loop) is inclosed in a circular box A, )lOVldOd with an elongated horizontal slot, in which the spring loop-carrying arm is adapted to operate. To prevent dirt or rain from entering said box, a semicircular ring or band 7L is secured to the projecting arm of the sleeve 7L5 and covers the elongated slot in said box A.

The circuit-breaker is of similar construction to the circuitcloser above described, with the exception that when in normal position the block 2' is in contact with the springs 1" and if (in that case connected to the wires i and 3 of Fig. and becomes disengaged from said springs when the sleeve 72.5 is turned out of its normal position.

In operation, when the cars a and b are moving in opposite directions or either one has stopped to let oil passengers while the other is passing by, the spring-loop c strikes against the spring-loop 0", thus turning their respective sleeves 7L5 on their shafts h and thus closing the circuits forthe bells c and c, ashereinbefore described. During this op- On one eration the springeontrolled wheels 71. are forced upward on the inclined plane 71.7 of shaft h, and as soon as the spring-loops are released said wheels, by the action of the spring it, will force the sleeves back to their normal position. The bells continue to ring until the spring-loop (Z strikes against the spring-loop d thus breaking the circuits of the respective bells c and c". assersby are thus made aware of an approaching car and frequent accidents may thus be avoided.

I do not intend to limit myself to the pre cise construction shown and described, as va rious alterations are possible without changing the scope of my invention; but

\Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an automatic danger signal for cars passing in opposite directions on parallel tracks, an electric bell circuit on. each of the cars and means operated by opposite cars to control automatically the said bell circuits, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In an automatic danger signal for cars passing in opposite directions on parallel tracks, an electric bell circuit on each of the cars, a series of circuit closers and breakers in said bell circuits and means operated by opposite cars to control automatically the respective circuit closers and breakers, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic danger signal for cars passing in opposite directions on parallel tracks, an electric bell circuit on each of the cars, a series of circuit closers in said bell circuit, means operated automatically froi'n opposite cars to control said circuit closers and means for automatically breaking the electric bell circuits, substantially as described.

at. A circuit closer for an automatic danger signal for cars (passing in opposite directions 011 parallel tracks), consisting of a stationary vertically arranged shaft, a spring controlled sleeve on said shaft, and provided with a horizontal arm, a spring loop adj ustably arranged on and projecting from said arm, and means for respectively closing and breaking an electric circuit, when said sleeve is turned on its shaft, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of March, 1895.

FREDERICK IIENIIIF.

Witnesses:

ALFRED Gasman, WM. D. BELL. 

